This invention relates to a vehicle steering column ride down apparatus that aims to simplify known forms of such apparatus. Such ride down apparatus is incorporated in vehicle steering column assemblies in order to guide the direction of steering column collapse in the event of vehicle crash.
According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle steering column ride down apparatus, comprising a first part for fixedly mounting to a support in the vehicle and a second part for coupling to a steering column assembly, at least one of the parts being tracked to act as a guidance and the other part having first means to run in the or each track and there being second means to tighten the two parts to provide a predetermined resistance at least to initial relative movement of the two parts in the event of vehicle crash.
The first part may be a fixed mounting bracket and may be provided with two parallel flanges, each with a longitudinal slot forming tracks in which said first means can run.
The second part may form a steering column support bracket and may be sized to fit within the two parallel flanges of the first part.
The second part may also be provided with two parallel flanges, each with longitudinal slots therein to form tracks in which the first means can run.
The first means can be formed by at least one screw fitting between the two parts. There may be at least one screw fitted in a screw aperture in the first part and tracking in one of the slots of the second part and there may be at least one screw in a screw aperture of the second part tracking in one of the slots of the first part.
The first means and the second means can be one and the same means.
Nuts may be tightened on the or each screw to provide the required torque for said predetermined resistance to relative movement of the two parts in the event of vehicle crash.
When the two parts are fitted one within the other, slots of adjacent flanges align with one another.
The invention also extends to a vehicle steering column assembly incorporating a steering column ride down apparatus essentially as defined above.